LENIN COLLECTION

DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE
OF MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGIUM OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT
OF AGRICULTURE AND V. I. LENIN
[May 3, 1918]

The preliminary conference (on questions raised by comrades Spiridonova and Karelina¹) of members of the collegium of agriculture, comrades Sereda and Meshcheryakov, and Lenin — arrived at the conclusion that the questions raised must be examined as serious political questions, and therefore must be unconditionally referred to the Central Committee of the RCP.

The conference considers it necessary to refer them to the Central Committee urgently and with haste.

¹ The Left Socialist-Revolutionaries M. A. Spiridonova and V. A. Karelina proposed transferring the leadership of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture completely into the hands of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries while retaining for the Bolsheviks only political representation. By decision of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) at its session of May 3, 1918, the claims of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries were rejected. On this question see also "Draft Statement to the Central Committee of the Party" (Lenin Collection XXI, p. 147).

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NOTE TO G. V. CHICHERIN¹ ON A DRAFT TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMANDER OF THE NAVAL FORCES OF THE BLACK SEA FLEET
May 16, 1918

To the Commander of the Naval Forces
of the Black Sea Fleet Sablin

According to a report from Sukhumi, the troops
of the Transcaucasian government, located twenty
versts from Sukhumi and supported by a flotilla
of armed merchant vessels, are moving on Sukhumi,
threatening the entire Black Sea coast. We order
you to immediately arm a number of our merchant
vessels and, under the guise of protecting our
commercial cargo, move southward to defend Sukhumi.

To Chicherin:

In my opinion, the Brest Treaty cannot forbid
us to struggle against mutineers and pirates
(armed merchant vessels), and we must find a
form to provide armed resistance with our naval
forces against the mutineers.

Lenin

¹ G. V. Chicherin — People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs.

1917–1918

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RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS
ON THE DISPATCH OF GRAIN FROM TSARITSYN TO BAKU
May 22, 1918

Resolution

Dispatch immediately by water from Tsaritsyn to Baku ten thousand (10,000) poods of grain at the disposal of the Baku Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, with the provision that, as a matter of first priority and unconditionally, the matter of exporting oil in the greatest quantity be ensured.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

Manager of Affairs of the Council of People's Commissars

Vlad. Bonch-Bruevich

Secretary of the Council

N. Gorbunov

Printed from the original signed by V. I. Lenin

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LETTER TO A. A. IOFFE AND V. R. MENZHINSKII¹

Comrade Ioffe and Menzhinskii

24/V. 1918

Dear Comrades! I received your pessimistic and angry letters (I received the one from 20.V today, 24.V). Part of your accusations directed against Chicherin fall on me. For example, I insisted on sending theses on concessions through the Germans in order to show them how seriously we want business-like economic relations. (The theses were worked out unanimously with the participation of Radek and other "left"-imbeciles.) The conditions of our concessions are such that nothing but benefit for us will result if the Germans accept these conditions.

Your policy, especially as set forth in detail in comrade Ioffe's letters, I fully approve.

Your dissatisfaction with Chicherin, in my opinion, is exaggerated. But in any case I am prepared to help you and I ask you to direct efforts toward **practical** ways to improve matters. For this purpose I would propose that concrete proposals be formulated precisely (send me copies of telegrams and letters, in the strictly **practical** and brief part, since I absolutely have no time to read everything). Then I promise to strive for their implementation and to check whether they have been carried out.

How to shift the **center of gravity more** toward Berlin (I agree to help this), on this you must think and propose very **tactful** (N.B.) and **concretely practical** measures for this. All possible measures I will take and will strive to carry out.

If it is possible to help obtain peace with Finland, Ukraine, and Turkey (that is the crux of the matter), one must always and do everything for this (of course, without certain new annexations and tribute this cannot be obtained). For the acceleration of such a peace I would give much.

Don't be nervous yourself. Correcting (and creating new) diplomacy is a difficult matter. Festina lente*.

Best greetings.

Your Lenin

P.S.

28/V. Delayed for the courier.

Chicherin has handed me the text of the note which Ioffe sent on his own behalf to the German government, agreeing to the transfer of the Black Sea Fleet vessels (i.e., their withdrawal from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol)² on the condition only of peace with Ukraine. Meanwhile our government in a clear note (communicated by radio and to Ioffe) acknowledged as possible to agree to the withdrawal of vessels to Sevastopol on **other** conditions, namely: 1) peace on all **three** fronts, that is both with Ukraine and with Finland and with Turkey; 2) non-annexation of Sevastopol.

How could Ioffe make such a mistake? How could he "undersell" so badly? How could one in general on such an important question send a note on his own behalf without consulting, without understanding......

N.B.

Send the *Arbeiterpolitik*, the Stuttgart *Sozial-Demokrat* and similar publications, all of them, **in full**, 5–10 copies each.

Have you begun publishing anything legal in German? What exactly? What is the plan of publication and when does it begin?

Regards! Lenin

¹ A. A. Ioffe — in 1918 ambassador of the RSFSR to Germany. V. R. Menzhinskii — in 1918 consul general of the RSFSR in Berlin.

* — Do not hurry.

** — *Workers' Politics*.